Dispenser packet



May 5, 1970 D.A.SAN-1 Em. 3,510,054

DISPENSER PACKET Filed July 25. 1968 F/G. 4. 58 F/G. 7.

00min/'c A. 50/7/7/ Dino D/'Car/o INVENTORS.

F/ 6. 5. ww"

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 229-66 4 Claims ABSTRACT F THlE DISCLOSURE A commodity-dispensing packet made of a flexible fibrous material, said packet being sealed at its peripheral edges, and, when torn open along a predetermined line, being characterized by a series of openings through which the commodity can be dispensed by shaking.

This invention relates to single service packets, and more particularly to packets of the envelope type containing an individual portion of a commodity in particle form, e.g., salt, pepper.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive package formed of a flexible packaging material, said package being adapted when opened to function as a shaker dispenser.

A more specific object is to provide a hermeticallysealed, commodity-containing package in rectangular envelope form made of a eXible packaging material, said package normally being sealed at its peripheral edges, and, when torn open along a predetermined line, being characterized by a series of openings through which the commodity contained therein may be dispensed.

Briefly, the present invention provides a substantially flat packet comprising a single sheet of packaging material folded and hermetically sealed at its peripheral edges, and scored and sealed along predetermined lines eX- tending across the packet so as to form a top portion adapted to function as a tear tab and a body portion containing the commodity. When the top portion is removed, a plurality of discharge openings are exposed along the adjacent edge of the body portion. The terms calender and score, as used herein, describe the process of compressing or deforming the iibers of the packaging material so as to cause them to rupture easily when subjected to a tearing or pulling action. Also, as used herein with respect to the peripheral or marginal portions of the front and rear panels of the packet, the term seal encompasses (a) the panels being integral with one another and meeting at a common edge which constitutes a fold line of the packaging material of which the packet is made, and (b) the panels being joined by a mechanical or adhesive connection.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description which is to be considered together with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a section of a sheet of packaging material prior to being formed into a packet;

FIG. 4 shows the fragmented body portion of the packet of FIG. l, after it has been opened;

FIG. 5 is a top end view of the opened packet of FIG. 4 showing the discharge openings;

FIG. 6 is an elevation view of a second embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 shows the fragmented body portion of the packet of FIG. 6, after it has been opened.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the package illustrated is in the form of a substantially flat and rectangular packet 20 comprising front and rear panels 22, 24 fabricated of flexible packaging material. The packaging material is a laminate, preferably'consisting of an outer backing 26 made of paper, cellophane or similar suitable material and an inner thermoplastic coating 28. In this embodiment of the invention, the packet is made of a single sheet of packaging material which is calendered or scored so as to deiine a pair of parallel and regular zig-zag patterns 30, 30' (FIG. 3) each located on opposite sides of and an equal distance from a center fold line 32. The packet is formed by folding the sheet along line 32 so that the calendered patterns 30 and 30 coincide with one another and line 32 defines the top edge of the packet. The front and rear panels 22 and 24, which consist of those portions of the sheet of packaging material on opposite sides of the fold line 32, are Welded together along a straight line intersecting the zig-zag patterns so as t0 form a continuous seal 34 which serves to divide the packet into a top tear-away portion 36 and a lower, commodity-containing body portion 38. As is obvious to persons skilled in the art, the seal 34 is formed by pressing the panels together by means of heated rollers or jaws which soften the inner plastic coating suiiicient for the panels to weld together. As shown, the zig-zag portion is partly above and partly below seal 34. The peripheral edges of the folded sheet also are heat-sealed together to form two longitudinally-extending seals 40, 42 -which coact with seal 34 to form a continuous, three-sided seal which defines an open packet. Then with the packet inverted from the position shown in FIG. 1, so that its open end is up, it is filled with the particulate contents, represented at 43 in FIG. 2. Finally, the open end of the packet is closed by sealing together the corresponding end edges of the panels 22, 24 to form a continuous, transverse bottom seal 44. The result is a hermetically sealed packet from which the particulate material 43 cannot eS- cape until the pack is torn open.

Seal 34 is intended as a temporary seal and accordingly may be narrow so as to facilitate its rupture when the packet is opened in the intended manner hereinafter described. However, since the top portion 36 of the packet is discarded when the packet is opened, seal 34 may eX- tend to the top edge of the packet, as represented by fold line 32. Seals 40, 42, and 44 are permanent seals and thus, as shown, are preferably wider than seal 34 so as to resist rupture when the packet is opened.

To open the packet in order to dispense its contents, it is necessary only to grasp the top and lbody portions, preferably at opposite ends, and exert a pulling or transverse tearing action. When this is done, the top portion 36 of the packet will separate from the body portion 3-8y along the weakened zig-zag calendared patterns. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the appearance of the package after separation of the top portion 36 from the body 38. Wherever the narrow transverse seal 34 remains below the zig-zag calendared areas, the front and rear panels of the opened packet will remain sealed together, as shown at 46. However, wherever the seal 34 was above those same zig-zag areas, an opening 501 is formed. As should be obvious, the number of openings 50l depends on the width of the packet and the number of zig-lags formed thereon.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the invention where similar pour openings are achieved by what amounts to a reversal .of functions with respect to the zig-zag patterns 30, 30 and the seal 34 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. In this alternative embodiment the front and rear panels are heat sealed together by a zig-zag seal 52 and are scored along a substantially straight calendared line 54 which intersects the seal 52. When pulled at opposite ends, the packet will separate along the scored line 54, leaving a plurality of openings 56 which occur alternately with a plurality of short sealed portions identied by the numeral 58. As should be apparent, these short sealed portions 58 are those portions of the zig-zag seal 52 which occur below the scored line 54.

Commodity packets of the present invention have many advantages. The construction oiers controlled dispensing, the size of the discharge openings limiting free pouring so that the user cannot inadvertently dispense more than he desires of the particlate contents. The packets can be made from a variety of exible papers coated or treated with a suitable plastic compound which renders it heat sealable. Advertising or brand names can be printed on the outer surfaces, as desired. The packets are hermetically sealed, and, because their front and rear panels are free of corrugations (being at except for the'convex curvature imparted by the commodity contained therein) they can be packed into boxes without damage. The number and size of the openings formed when the packets are torn open can be varied to accommodate relatively ne commodities such as salt, or relatively coarse substances such as pepper. Packets of the above construction also lend themselves to mass production on conventional packaging machinery by those skilled in the art. It should be also noted that the calendared patterns can be formed prior or subsequent to forming the packet. Furthermore, the packet need not be of a single sheet of material. Instead, it may be fabricated from two sheets, with one sheet corresponding to the front panel and the second serving as a rear panel. This alternative construction, however, requires an additional seal in place of fold 32.

What is claimed is:

1. A commodity-containing packet comprising:

front and rear at rectangular panels sealed together at their peripheral edges;

said packet having a single coinciding tear line comprising continuous, coinciding and identical patterned areas of said panels which extend laterally the width of said panels and which are weakened so as to rupture when subject to tensioning;

said panels also sealed together along a continuous line that extends laterally the width of said panels and periodically intersects said continuous tear line so that when said packet is pulled at its ends, it will separate into two portions at the continuous tear line with the edge of one portion representing a plurality of openings through which the commodity may be dispensed.

2. The packet as deiined in claim 1 wherein said front and rear panels are formed from a single sheet of packaging material.

3. The packet as dened in claim 1 wherein the weakened areas are in the form of regular zig-zag patterns and said continuons seal line is straight.

4. The packet as dened in claim 1 wherein the weakened areas are substantially straight and the continuous seal line is zig-zag and occurs partly above and partly below said tear line.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,499,313 2/ 1950 Hoag 229-7 2,517,027 8/1950 Rado 222-107 X 3,134,680 5/1964 Daline 229-85 X 3,155,282 11/1964 Leblanc 222-107 3,061,174 10/1962 Zalkind 229-85 DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 206-56; 229-7 

